Speaking Test

Part 2 Mark Teacher

IELTS Speaking Test: Part 2
Thinking of Ideas 
Refer back to Slides 2.2-2.4 and the video for more information.
'2 Minutes' sounds like a scary number, but this technique shows you don't need a lot of ideas to talk for that
long. The most important thing is to share as much relevant information as you can in order to demonstrate
your fluency skills.
Elaborate on just 1 or 2 simple moments or features by using the WH - Questions you saw in the video. It’s
better to describe 1 or 2 things well, than 5 or 6 things poorly or without detail or connection.
Keep the overall structure of your Part 2 answer in mind too. The basic strategy for a full Part 2 answer...
Starts in The Past
Describes in the middle
And ends in The Future
This is an example of the notes I made during the 60 seconds, followed by my full answer. 

Describe an unforgettable experience you have had. My Notes

1. Past -  It was my first time in Kyoto - had never
You should say: been there before - went by myself
where it was 2. Describe  - Beautiful - magical - snowy -
what you did unforgettable experience
why you had this experience 3. Future -  I want to go back in spring - cherry
and explain why you remember this experience well. blossoms 

Example Answer
Past - I had never been to Kyoto before.
(+ Where else in Japan?) - I had been to Tokyo with some of my friends for a couple of days last year, and I
had a fantastic time in the capital, so I was excited to see what else Japan had to offer.
(+ With who this time?) - But this time I went by myself. It was my first solo trip abroad, so I was really
excited as well as a little bit anxious.
Description - My time in Kyoto was so magical because it snowed.
(+ Why?) - It was winter time and the snow came down really heavily. It blanketed all the old temples and
houses.
(+ How did I feel?) - I felt quite overwhelmed by all the layers of fresh powder over the ancient Japanese
architecture. I took lots of pictures, and I walked around the historical eastern geisha area in the east and
tried to take it all in. I felt incredibly lucky to see something so stunning on such a short trip.
Future - I would love to go back in Spring
(+ Why?) - In April they have incredible cherry blossoms all over the city. I’m sure that would be another
wonderful experience. ms all over the city. I’m sure that would be another wonderful experience. 

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Thinking of Ideas
As you can see, I used the Who - What - When - Where - Why - How questions to give myself more ideas
as I followed the steps in my notes.
As you can see, I only wrote down three notes in the 60 seconds, but thanks to the WH Questions, I could
talk for much longer and fill in a lot of extra details.
All the + sentences were created spontaneously during my answer. I did not plan them or write them
down before. You can do this too, but it takes practice and patience.
Here's another example: 

Describe two people you know from the same family My Notes

1. Past - Born in 1993, same year - Grew up in
You should say: different countries   
who these people are 2. Description - Similar personalities- smart -
how they are similar  creative - academic - driven  
how they are different  3. Future - Will see them at my sister’s wedding in
and say how well they get along with each other  September

Example Answer
Past - I don’t have very many cousins compared to my parents or grandparents, but there are two cousins
in my family who are very interesting.
(+ Who?) - They are both on my father’s side of the family and they’re both called Olivia.
(+ How long have you known them?) - I’ve known them throughout my entire life and I’ve grown up with
them, along my sister.
(+ How old are they?)  - They’re both the same age, as they were both born in 1993, however, one was
raised in America, and the other was raised in the UK.
Description - But despite the fact that they were brought up in different countries with different cultures,
‘the Olivias’ - as we called them - are actually very similar.
(+ How?) - Appearance-wise, they are both very tall and slim, but their personalities are also more alike.
They both have creative talents. British Olivia graduated in illustration a few years ago, and she’s been
drawing some pictures for children’s books and they’re fantastic, while my other cousin is a great dancer.
(+ What else?) - Another similarity they share is their drive. When they set themselves a target, they hard
work to achieve it. Throughout their education, they have always scored great marks in their exams, and
loved the academic atmosphere of university in general.
Future - We get along very well, and I’m looking forward to seeing them at my sister’s wedding in
September later this year.
(+ When was the last time you saw them?) - I haven’t seen them for a long time actually, so it will be great
to catch up with them. 

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Thinking of Ideas 
If you are still finding it difficult to talk confidently for 2 minutes, break the task down into small
pieces. Take 1 idea and ask yourself all 6 WH- questions and make a sentence for every one. With
practice, you will find your favourite question type and you'll start to feel more comfortable.

Use the question words to add some more details to these Part 2 stories  
                                                             Who - What - When - Where - Why - How
#1 - Last year I decided to take a trip to Barcelona in Spain.
WH- Question:
Answer / More detail:

#2 - My family and I went to one of the most beautiful islands in Vietnam.

WH- Question:
Answer / More detail:

#3 - I tried scuba-diving for the first time in Egypt.

WH- Question:
Answer / More detail:

#4 - A quiet place I like to visit is a coffee shop called ‘Cafe Alo’.

WH- Question:
Answer / More detail:

#5 - I’m lucky to live next door to a truly lovely neighbour named Ehab.
WH- Question:
Answer / More detail:

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Taking Notes - Part 2 Structure 
Refer to back to Slide 2.5 for more information 
You have seen the P - D - F structure being used in the previous example answers. This forms a
natural story-telling arc that is easy to follow and easy to prepare for. 

This strategy has another bonus - you can use your 60-second note-taking time more effectively by
preparing the grammar in your sentences before you start giving your answer. This makes your notes
much easier to use while you give your Part 2 answer. 
Combine all the phrases, grammar structures and sentence types (from Pages 4-7) to make high-band
notes and higher-scoring Part 2 answers as a result.

 Look at the templates below for examples. 

Notes Describe a city you visited that you liked. 

Had never been to Moscow before

Past
Went with my sister and my mother

Stunning architecture -
Description
Fascinating museums - delicious food

Would love to go back

Future
Going back next summer

Notes Describe a foreign food you have tried

Had never tried Kangaroo before

Past
Was a little bit nervous to try it

Surprisingly fancy restaurants

Description
Delicious - meat was tender and juicy

Will be more adventurous next time

Future
Want to try alligator

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Using Your Past 
Refer back to Slide 2.6 for more information.
Your Part 2 answer should begin in the Past. This gives us an opportunity to use the perfect tense.  
For example:
When we arrived in New York, I was so excited. I had never been to the USA before, so I couldn’t wait to
check it out.
My wife and I took a trip to the beach in Hurghada in Egypt. We went to a scuba-diving school there. At
first, I felt really nervous because I had never tried scuba-diving in my life, but it was an amazing
experience.
The Past Perfect follows this structure:
I - had - (never) - 3rd form verb - (before / in my life / at that time / yet)
I had never tried Vietnamese food before.
I’d been there before, but only for a couple of days. 
I had never seen such beautiful mountains in my life! 
I had always wanted to go there.
Here are some more 3rd form examples:

Visit - Visited                   Go - Been                  Try - Tried                   Eat - Eaten

Feel - Felt                        Do - Done                  See - Seen                 Have - Had

Dream - Dreamed           Want - Wanted           Take - Taken            Speak - Spoken

Try to finish these examples using the Present or Past Perfect.
Think - Had you been there before? Had you tried it before? Had you seen that before?
 
I was blown away by the beaches in the Philippines, they were golden and deserted. I had…

I was really nervous about delivering my presentation. I had…

I was really impressed when I met up with my friends in the new coffee shop. We had...

For a couple of months my neighbour and I never talked very much. We had…

The air in the countryside was so fresh, and there were wild animals roaming everywhere. I had…

When we reached the top of the mountain, the view was unbelievable. I had…

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Describing - Fronting Phrases
Obviously, in only 2 minutes, you can't describe and explain every single detail about your favourite
holiday, friend, movie or book. This where Fronting Phrases can help you.  Fronting Phrases let you
choose the highlights, or your favourite specific moments from a trip, a memory, or the personality
of a person. 

Fronting Phrases are also very flexible, and can be used with any Part 2 topic. 

Here are some useful Fronting Phrases:

One of my favourite parts of [the trip / the holiday / the meal / the building] was...
What I really liked about [the trip / the holiday / the meal / the building] was...
One thing that I remember clearly was...
The most interesting part was….
The reason why I loved it so much was...
The best part for me was... 

Let’s look at some examples:

"What I really liked about the film was the relationship between the two main characters. The girl is
extremely rich and wealthy, but the man is from a lower-class family."

"One of my favourite parts of the holiday was the weather. There wasn't a cloud in the sky for all 5
days." 

"One thing that I remember clearly is the architecture in the city. There were huge, futuristic
skyscrapers everywhere, they were incredibly impressive. 

Now you can practise using these Fronting Phrases to talk about your favourite things. You only
have to write one sentence - just get used to using the phrases. Try to use different ones to avoid
repetition. 

For example:
[A TV show you liked when you were a child] - “Sesame Street”
“One thing that I clearly remember was the character called Elmo.”

More on the next page 

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Describe Continued...
You only have to write one sentence using a Fronting Phrase

[A TV show you liked when you were a child] 

[A book you want to read again]

[A cafe you visited once]

[An interested article you have read]

[A website you like to visit often]

[A trip you took in the countryside] 

[A city you visited that you liked] 

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Using the Future
Practice using these phrases at the end of Part 2 to naturally bring your answer to a close.

Fill the gaps with the one of the verbs to make a sentence about the future. 

                                        Visit ---- Go back --- Spend time --- To explore --- To take --- To see  

I can’t wait to ________________ some time in the future.

I would love to _______________ there next year.

I'm going to ___________ the band live in concert when they come to my country. 

I hope to ______________ with my friends there when I get the chance.

I really want _________________ more cities in China.

I would really like to ___________ [my parents / friends] next time.

Sometimes, you may have had a bad experience, there are a few phrases for that as well:
(Maybe) Next time I will do it differently…
I hope that doesn’t happen again!
I would never do that something like that again.

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Using Expressions and Phrases 
Strong Adjectives and Weak Adjectives
Improve your Lexical Resource score: This is 25% of your overall Speaking Test Band
Refer back to Slide 2.8 for more information.
In English, adjectives can be gradable and ungradable. Most basic adjectives are gradable or weak. For
example: 
Good • Small • Tiring • Difficult • Tall • Hungry • Funny • Interesting • Hot • Cold • Tasty
However, adjectives which are strong or extreme are ungradable. They are on ‘the limit of the scale’.
Popular ungradable or ‘strong’ adjectives are:
Brilliant • Delicious • Tiny • Exhausting • Freezing • Fascinating • Hilarious • Impossible • Giant / Huge
Starving • Boiling
Below, match the weak adjective to the strong adjective. Then, finish the sentences with strong adjectives.

Good - Brilliant The food in hotel restaurant was ...delicious / brilliant

The museums in London are ...
My favourite TV show is …
The biggest mountain in my country is...
Last winter was ...
But in the summer time can be...
I think going to the gym is... 

Fill the gaps with strong adjectives:

I’d like to talk about a fantastic place in my country, and that is London, the capital city of England. I went there for
the first time a few years ago, and I’ve wanted to go back ever since. London is the biggest city in the UK, which
means there are so many __________ things you can do there. What I really liked about London is that it's a great
place for learning about history, because you can visit so many ___________ museums dedicated to different
periods of England’s history. You can also visit Big Ben and see our __________ parliament building. Another thing I
remember clearly is that there are restaurants from all over the world. There is a famous Chinatown with
__________ food as well as a traditional English market called ‘Borough Market’ which is almost a thousand years
old. But my favourite part was that London is also really easy to explore. Most of the big tourist spots are all within
walking distance, so you might be ___________ at the end of the day, but I think it’s worth it. I wouldn’t recommend
going in the winter time because it’s usually __________! Apart from that, it’s a brilliant place that I’d love to go back
and visit with my friends.”   9
 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Part 2 Practice Questions

Describe a kind of foreign food you have tried Describe a time you had a good experience in the
countryside
You should say:  You should say
When you had it Where it was
Where you ate it When it was
What it was  What you did
And what you thought about it.  And explain why you liked/disliked the experience

Describe a polite person you know Describe a quiet place that you like
You should say: You should say:
Who this person is Where it is
How you know this person  How often you go there
Why you think this person is polite What you do there
And say why you like this place.

Describe an interesting neighbour Describe an experience when you were not allowed
to use a mobile phone
You should say: You should say:
Who this person is What you did
How often you see him or her When it was
How long you have known this neighbour Where it was
And why you consider this person to be interesting. And why you were not allowed to use a mobile phone

Describe a decision you disagreed with Describe a place where people go to swim

You should say: You should say:

Where this place is
What the decision was What kinds of people go there
Who made that decision Why people choose to go to this place instead of
If you told this person that you disagree other places
And why you think it was the wrong decision And what facilities it has

Describe a plan you have for the future (But not Describe two people who you know from the same
related to work or study) family
You should say: You should say:
What it is Who these two people are
Why you have this plan How much these two people have similar
What you will happen need to do in order to personalities
make the plan How much they look similar
And how you think you will feel after you achieve this And how well the two people get along with each other

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 Speaking Test
Part 2 Mark Teacher
Part 2 Practice Questions

Describe a kind of foreign food you have tried Describe a time you had a good experience in the
countryside
You should say:  You should say
When you had it Where it was
Where you ate it When it was
What it was  What you did
And what you thought about it.  And explain why you liked/disliked the experience

Describe a polite person you know Describe a quiet place that you like
You should say: You should say:
Who this person is Where it is
How you know this person  How often you go there
Why you think this person is polite What you do there
And say why you like this place.

Describe an interesting neighbour Describe an experience when you were not allowed
to use a mobile phone
You should say: You should say:
Who this person is What you did
How often you see him or her When it was
How long you have known this neighbour Where it was
And why you consider this person to be interesting. And why you were not allowed to use a mobile phone

Describe a decision you disagreed with Describe a place where people go to swim

You should say: You should say:

Where this place is
What the decision was What kinds of people go there
Who made that decision Why people choose to go to this place instead of
If you told this person that you disagree other places
And why you think it was the wrong decision And what facilities it has

Describe a plan you have for the future (But not Describe two people who you know from the same
related to work or study) family
You should say: You should say:
What it is Who these two people are
Why you have this plan How much these two people have similar
What you will happen need to do in order to personalities
make the plan How much they look similar
And how you think you will feel after you achieve this And how well the two people get along with each other

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